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School, sport and community campus given go-ahead for Carlisle

A multi-million pound school, sport and community campus has been given the go-ahead by councillors.

An artist’s impression of the new-look site

Plans for a new hub in Harraby, Carlisle, have been approved by members of Cumbria County Council’s development control and regulation committee.

This will see a new and expanded Pennine Way Primary School built and the creation of a new community centre on the old site of North Cumbria Technology College at Edgehill Road.

The scheme, named Harraby Community Campus, will see the number of places at the primary school expanded from 300 to 600. These are designed to help the growing population across Harraby, Carleton Grange and Parklands Village, as well as others who may move to proposed new housing developments.

Alongside this, the new community centre will include a cafe, library link, meeting space, soft play, children’s centre resources and sports facilities. Existing facilities such as the sports arena, arts theatre and BMX track are being retained and integrated into the new development.

The project is being funded with £10.7m of county council cash and £1.6m from Carlisle City Council.

Billy Jackson – the vice-chairman of Harraby Together We Can, a community group which campaigned for the development – was delighted with the news.

He said: “It is brilliant for Harraby, it is going to be a massive complex, we have needed it for a long time.

“Hopefully it will get community support and people who live in Harraby or near to Harraby will use it and it will get people out rather than staying in.”

Mr Jackson is a junior football coach with Harraby Catholic Club and looking forward to using the complex’s new sports facilities, which will include football pitches.

“Hopefully we will find some more Grant Holts and Paul Reids,” he said.

Councillor Cyril Weber, who represents Harraby on both the city and county councils, was also pleased.

“It is great for all of the community,” he said. “I think it benefits the whole of the city.”

Councillor Alan Clark, who chairs the development control and regulation committee, hoped there would be similar schemes in other parts of the county. He said: “We were more than pleased with the plans and we wish things like this would happen more often, it benefits the whole community.”

Construction is set to begin this summer with spring 2015 the target date for it to be completed.